Horizon: Zero Dawn Guide

Ikrie's Challenge

To unlock this errand you first need to complete The Survivor side quest. When you’ve done this, head to the Shadowchants Hunting Ground to the north of the map where Ikrie will be waiting. The challenge is a difficult one, but you have the option to try and beat it as many times as you like.

Ikrie will be with you during this activity – she will freeze the machines while you take them down with your bow. However, the catch is that you can only use a bow that she will provide for you, and it has limited arrows. To make things a little trickier still, your crafting skill will be disabled, so you can’t make more once you run out. When this happens, and if you haven’t killed all the machines, the challenge will end and you will have to start again.

You will have 5 Fire Arrows, 30 Hunter Arrows, and 25 Hardpoint Arrows to work with against 10 machines, so you need to make them count. Additionally, to ease your mind a little, it’s worth equipping the Shield-Weaver armour if you have it (and maybe have a full medicinal pouch, just in case) so that you don’t have to worry too much about your health. You won’t be able to switch out your armour once you get started, so be sure to make the right preparations before you go in.

Note: Only begin attacking the machines once Ikrie has frozen them.

The first wave consists of four Scrappers. You need to grab their attention and lead them back to Ikrie so that she can freeze them for you. There’s a large painting symbolising where to lead them to, situated on the ground just below the rock that Ikrie is perched on. Use the Concentration skill (which will come in handy throughout this challenge anyway) if you want to make some sure shots, and knock off the Scrapper’s two main components to take them down. If you can do this with all four of them you should have only used eight of your Hardpoint Arrows.

The second wave consists of three Grazers. Again, grab their attention and lead them back to Ikrie. This should be an easy round, so switch to the Hunter Arrows and aim for the Blaze Canisters on the Grazer’s backs. You should only need two arrows per Grazer provided your aim is true (really, don’t be afraid to use Concentration).

The third wave can be frustrating, and if you’re not used to fighting Trampler machines, your arrow count could suffer greatly. You’ll be against two Tramplers this round, so it’ll be good to learn their major weaknesses in order to get the best out of your confinements. Of course, the unit on their underbelly is where you should try to aim for. Wait for Ikrie to freeze one of them and, using your Hardpoint Arrows again, knock off the Processing Unit – it will explode and set the machine on fire, which will cause damage over time. The burn effect should last until the machine has no more health, so repeat the process with the second Trampler. Make sure to have a good angle before you shoot and continue to use Concentration if you feel you need it.

The final round consists of a single Fire Bellowback, so lead it to Ikrie and let her freeze it. Using Hardpoint Arrows, aim for the Gullet and Cargo Sac until they explode. Both of these components once destroyed deal major damage to the machine. You should be able to use your remaining Hunter and Fire Arrows to finish it off and successfully complete the challenge.